Electric batojest



. su ures sur RAYMOND C. BENNER AND HARRY F. FEENGIFI, U1 FREMONT, OHIO, AlSIG-NORF, BY

MESNEASSIGHMENTS, TED NATIDNAL OF NEW YORK.

CARBON COMPANY, INC., A CDBEORATION ELECTRIC BATTERY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RAYMOND C. BENNER and HARRY F. FRENCH, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Fremont, in the county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, and Fremont, in the county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, have in vented a certain new and useful Improvementin Electric Batteries, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electric batteries and is a continuation of'our application filed October 5,1916, Serial No.;12'3,856.

The invention is especially applicable to alkaline cells havinga positive electrode usually of zinc and a negative electrode of powdered copper oxid inclosed in a psi-t0 rated container; The negative electrode may but the electrochemical action is the same.

The complete battery consists of a jar cone taining" an alkaline electrolyte, such as so dium hydroxid, usually with an appropriate joover iron: which the two electrodes are sus ende cl.,,v

l/ e have foundthat sulfur compounds have the remark ble property of materially raising the voltage of the copper oxid cell, and also, in a majority of cases, of increasing the service life. The soluble sulfide exhibit both of these cfi'ects, such soluble sulfide including ammonium sulfid, hydrogen sulfid, the sulfids of the alkaline metals, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium and lithium, and the sulfids of the alkaline earth metals, barium, calcium, strontium and mag- 1185111111.;

Practically all the insoluble sulfide, when prepared and purified properly, raise the voltage of the copper oxid cell, ands considerable number of these also increase the service life, others being neutral and still others negative in this respect. A partial list of the insoluble sultids of the metals and non-metals which raise the voltage in- 'stannous sulfid {SuS}, stannic sulfid (SnS serous sulfid (6e 3,), vanadium pentasulfid Patented Sept. $33, ill Will,

I [loutinuation of application, Serial lilo. 123,856, filed October 5, 1316. This application filer January 26, 1917. Serial No. 144,818.

I (v so, arscnous sulfid (As,S,,), arsenicv pentasulfiol (AS 5 arsenic disulfid antimony trisulfid' (Sb S antimony pentasulfid (819 95 bismuth sulficl (Bi,S,), chromic sullid (Ci- S molybdenum disulfid (M08 ferrous sulfid (FeS), ferric sulfid r al, iron disulfid Fess, nickel monosulfid (NiS), cobaltous sulfid (COS), phosphorus sesquisulfid (RS sulfur monochlorid (S 61 sulfur bromid (8,181,), sulfur iodid (S 1 Cuprous sullid (311 3, as far as we have been able to find out, and lead sullid, Phil, have no effect on the voltage of the cell when mixed with copper oxid in accordance with this invention even though purified carefully. There may he conditions, hon ever, under which these would possess the voltage raising characteristic.

' 'All the alkaline and alkaline earth metals, and. also the ammonium radical, have the property of combining with hydrogen and sulfur to form hydrosulfids, for example KSH, and with var ing excess amounts of sulfur to form pol ysulfids, for example K 8 E 3,, etc. We have found that the hydrosulfids and polysullids are similar to the normal soluble sulfide in raising the voltage and. increasing the service life of the cell.

Again, we have found that double sulfide and. organic sulfids possess the voltage raising'charaoteristics and as examples of the former may mention the double sulfids of ammonium and tin, (Mingus; annnoniinn and antimony, (NI-1,),ShS, (NHQ, see; ammonium and arsenic (NfLhAsS NlLhAsSg ammonium and copper, NH; (luS,,--and mercury and sodium, Hg(llaa),.

As, examples of organic sulfur compounds previously referred to, the following may he till given: lhenylsulfocarbamid, thiosinamin,

thioacetic acid, thiourea ellyl mustard oil, l iycirazin sulfate, thiocarbanilid, alphaneph thylamin-s'ulfate and carbon disultid,

There are various processes of incorporating the sulfide and sulfur compounds intho cell to produce the desired reaction between them and the oxid. In case of soluble com pounds a preferable one is to allow the pew dered copper oxid to stand in water, sodium hydroxid or other solution of the snlfid or other compound, until the copper oxid moss is permeated with the solution. The oxicfis it'll a it is desirable in this latter case to omit the tal action upon the zinc and the consequent modification of the voltage raising material,

5 zincs until a, considerable time has elapsed to permit any possible reaction to take place between the depolarizer and the sulfur compound. lVhile this produces the desired effect to some degree, it is not the preferred process, for we have found that it is in gen eral not as convenient, efficient or economical as the other methods which we have described. Other solvents than those mentioned may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As an alternative method the powered sulfur compounds may be mixed with powdered oxid and then placed in the perforated container, ready for assembling in the cell, and

mass, is capable of being varied greatly, and the invention is therefore not to be restricted to any definite proportion. However, by way of example, it may be stated that with a standard copper oxid cell having about 1000 grams sodium hydroxid and 1050 grams of copper oxid, from 1 to 250 grains of sulfid have been used with good results.

In practice we prefer to use the sulfids or polysulfids of sodium, the sulfids of copper (cupric), zinc, cadmium or bismuth, as these are in general the most suitable.

Having described our invention, What we claim is:

1. In electric batteries, a negative element containing a mixture of copper oxid and a sulfid adapted to increase the voltage when used in the electric cell. 7

2. In electric batteries, an alkaline electrolyte, a sulfid adapted to increase the voltage, a positive electrode and a negative element containing copper oxid.

3. In electric batteries, an alkaline electrolyte, a zinc-copper oxid coupletherein and a sulfid in the copper oxid adapted to increase the voltage of said couple.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures.

RAYMOND C. BENNER. HARRY F. FRENCH. 

